Mirsky leads the field

Light wind day at the Portimão Portugal Match Cup

A five-team showdown is shaping up at the Portimão Portugal Match Cup going into the final Qualifying Session tomorrow. In order to ensure progress to the Quarter Finals, World Match Racing Tour skippers must reach at least six points during qualifying – but with just five races sailed today in fickle winds in the waters off Portimão, five Tour Card Holders have not yet made that tally.

Mathieu Richard and Swede Johnie Berntsson booked their places in the Quarter Finals with respective wins over Finland's Olli-Pekka Lumijarvi and Portugal's Alvaro Marinho. They join Mirsky and Ian Williams of Team GAC Pindar in the next stage of the event.

Marinho’s defeat at the hands of Bruni ended his chances of progressing to the next stage, and he joins Lumijarvi and New Zealand's Reuben Corbett of AON Racing who are going home from the event with respective scores of 2-9 and 3-8.

Out of the six sailors who will race tomorrow, only Torvar Mirsky of The Wave, Muscat is safe. For the remaining skippers their fates hang in the balance and could go either way, depending on their results tomorrow.

With three more qualifying flights to sail, Damien Iehl and Dane Jesper Radich of Adrian Lee & Partners both need a win each to go through, while Peter Gilmour of Yanmar Racing, Francesco Bruni and Bjorn Hansen need to win two of their matches to survive.

Standings after the third Qualifying Session:

Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat 7-1
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 7-4
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 6.5-4
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 6-5
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 5-3
Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners 5-3
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 4-4
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team 4-4
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing 4-4
Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth Sailing Team 3-8
Reuben Corbett (NZL) Aon Racing Team 3-8
Olli-Pekka Lumijarvi (FIN) Siragusawa Sailing Team 2-9